oday, the Kaiser Health Network (KHN) reported that Missourians are among those who would suffer most if a lawsuit filed by Josh Hawley and 19 other Republican Attorneys General is successful. While Missouri has one of the highest rates of adults with pre-existing conditions, Hawley’s lawsuit “calls on federal courts to find the health law’s protections for people with preexisting conditions unconstitutional.” Nearly 2.5 million Missourians could lose coverage due to the lawsuit. Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms professor Justin Giovannelli told KHN that plaintiffs like Hawley “are paying lip service to these critical protections for people, but they are in fact engaged in a strategy that would get rid of those protections.”

If the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with preexisting medical conditions are struck down in court, residents of the Republican-led states that are challenging the law have the most to lose.

“These states have been opposed to the ACA from the beginning,” said Gerald Kominski, a senior fellow at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “They’re hurting their most vulnerable citizens.”

…By extension, the suit calls on federal courts to find the health law’s protections for people with preexisting conditions unconstitutional — and Sessions agrees.

Nine of the 11 states with the highest rates of preexisting conditions among adults under 65 have signed onto the lawsuit to strike down the ACA, according to data from insurance companies and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

…Plaintiffs in the lawsuit “are paying lip service to these critical protections for people, but they are in fact engaged in a strategy that would get rid of those protections,” said Justin Giovannelli, an associate research professor at Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. “Frankly, it’s hard to square what they’re saying on the one hand and what they’re arguing in the courts on the other.”

According to a poll released in June, also by the Kaiser Family Foundation, three-quarters of Americans say that maintaining protections for people with preexisting conditions is “very important.” This includes majorities of Democratic, Republican and independent voters.

Before the health law was adopted, insurance companies routinely denied coverage to millions of people with preexisting conditions who purchased insurance through the individual marketplace.

This morning, Politico published a detailed report exposing Josh Hawley’s top political consultant for years of skirting campaign finance laws to help funnel millions of dollars in funds from the National Rifle Association (NRA) into key battleground races. Politico reports that the firm run by Hawley’s primary campaign strategist and frequent campaign spokesman, Brad Todd, appears to have been using a shell organization called Starboard to illegally coordinate with the NRA on critical races. According to the report, “the NRA’s relationship with Starboard continues.”

This is not the first time Hawley has been closely associated with questionable campaign finance dealings. During his 2016 run for Attorney General, Hawley was faced with an ethics complaint for using two non-profits he founded to benefit his campaign. The complaint alleged that Hawley had set up two dark money non-profits — Missouri Forward Foundation and the Missouri Liberty Project — to be nothing more than “political committees that don’t have to disclose their donors.” As Attorney General, Hawley has turned a blind eye to former Governor Eric Greitens’ use of a similarly structured non-profit — which is currently under investigation by the Missouri Ethic Commission.

“Frankly it’s not surprising that, yet again, Josh Hawley’s campaign team is implicated in a campaign finance scandal,” said Missouri Democratic Party Deputy Communications Director Brooke Goren. “From day one, Josh Hawley has been a supporter of dark money who will do whatever it takes to make his donors and political allies happy. The question is: will Hawley continue to associate with and accept help from Brad Todd, when he knows Todd may be intentionally violating campaign finance laws to help Hawley win?”

This week, DC Republicans continued their efforts to sabotage health care for hardworking Missourians by severely cutting funding for grassroots programs that help individuals find health care. The Washington Post reports that the Administration has also been encouraging individuals and businesses to purchase plans that, “cover fewer services and bypass rules intended to protect people from previous practices in which insurers charged higher prices to women, older people and those with preexisting medical conditions.”

Health insurance coverage for Missourians with pre-existing conditions is already at risk thanks to a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Hawley, which would end protections for those individuals. With one of the highest rates of adults with pre-existing conditions in the country, ending these protections would impact nearly 2.5 million Missourians.

“Josh Hawley is already part of a lawsuit that would strip health care protections from Missourians with pre-existing conditions,” said Missouri Democratic Party Deputy Communications Director Brooke Goren. “In the wake of this latest development, Hawley needs to come clean with Missourians: does he support the administration’s attempt to further sabotage Missourians’ health care?”

Yesterday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Editorial Board slammed Josh Hawley for running a campaign devoid of substance, noting that Hawley has “minimal credentials with which to convince voters that he can be more effective as a senator than McCaskill.” The Editorial Board also called Hawley out for trying to distract from his disappointing record as Attorney General by lobbing disingenuous attacks against Senator McCaskill, saying that “McCaskill’s voting record is about as centrist as it gets, and Hawley knows it.”

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, the likely GOP U.S. Senate nominee, miscalculates by focusing his campaign strategy on attacking incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, portraying her as a flaming leftist out of touch with Missouri’s mainstream. McCaskill’s voting record is about as centrist as it gets, and Hawley knows it.

His exaggerations, primarily aimed at pressuring her ahead of the Senate confirmation vote of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, mask a much more profound weakness in the young attorney general’s background: his own lack of experience. He has minimal credentials with which to convince voters that he can be more effective as a senator than McCaskill. So his only option is to deflect. Missourians shouldn’t fall for it.

…His record as attorney general has been only mildly impressive. He was a latecomer in challenging the multiple abuses that put then-Gov. Eric Greitens on a track toward impeachment. Hawley seemed conflicted on where to focus his energies — on running for Senate, or actually doing his job.

…Even when he was willing to go after Greitens, Hawley waited until it was politically safe to do so, after key GOP legislators had already made clear their intentions to pursue Greitens’ misconduct aggressively.

…Mainstream Missourians are far more selective and centrist in their Senate choices than Hawley gives them credit for. “Our way of life,” as he phrases Missouri values, is far from the hard-right side of the political spectrum.

If Missourians are souring on Hawley, it probably reflects their revulsion with Trump’s extremist rhetoric and Hawley’s refusal to challenge it. They want to know what he stands for.

If Hawley wants to move his sagging poll numbers, he’ll need to move away from the extremist fringe and give Missouri’s mainstream something of substance to chew on.

Yesterday, House Investigative Committee chairman Jay Barnes filed an ethics complaint against former Governor Greitens’ campaign for using a non-profit — A New Missouri — to skirt campaign finance laws, naming former Greitens campaign advisor and current Vice President Pence chief-of-staff Nick Ayers as a target of the complaint. While Attorney General Josh Hawley has the authority to investigate non-profit organizations under Missouri law, he has refused to investigate the former Governor’s non-profit.

Hawley has sought Vice President Pence’s support in his campaign for Senate and even introduced the Vice President at his event in Kansas City this afternoon — leading to a potential political issue for Hawley if he chose to do his job and pursue an investigation that involves the Vice President’s chief-of-staff.

Meanwhile, questions about A New Missouri have been swirling since Greitens ran for office in 2016, and escalated when the Governor allegedly resigned to prevent the charity’s donors from being revealed. While a private attorney and members of Hawley’s own party have been demanding answers about the organization, Hawley’s refusal to use his authority to do so raises serious questions.

“From day one, Josh Hawley has been a supporter of dark money who will do whatever it takes to make his donors and political allies happy,” said Missouri Democratic Party Deputy Communications Director Brooke Goren. “Whether it’s because he doesn’t want to upset the Vice President or because he’s trying to protect his own donors, Hawley’s refusal seek the answers Missourians deserve is why corruption in Jefferson City has never been worse.”

As Josh Hawley joins Vice President Pence in Kansas City today to talk about the Republican tax bill, CNN is out with a new report that shows the Republican plan has resulted in an explosion of stock buybacks that “will help enrich corporate executives,” yet “recent research suggests the tax cuts could boost the economy very little.” In fact, Republican Senator Marco Rubio has even admitted that while big corporations have enjoyed savings from the Republican tax bill, “there’s no evidence whatsoever that the money’s been massively poured back into the American worker.”

Meanwhile, big pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer have used $50 billion of the savings they received through the Republican tax bill to enrich their executives and Wall Street investors — all while continuing to raise drug prices and leaving many Missourians struggling to afford their prescriptions.

…The Republican tax cut created a windfall for Corporate America. The legislation slashed the corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%.

…CEOs are choosing to use a large chunk of that money to reward shareholders.

…However, critics of buybacks argue they disproportionately benefit the rich. That’s because the top 10% of households owned 84% of all stocks in 2016, according to research from NYU professor Edward Wolff.

…TrimTabs notes that the $436.6 billion of buybacks announced during the second quarter would have paid for a $1,000 bonus check to be sent to 6.8 million workers — every single trading day.

A stated goal of the tax law was to encourage businesses to spend more. But it hasn’t helped much, at least not so far.

…The San Francisco Fed said that recent research suggests the tax cuts could boost the economy very little — or perhaps not at all.

A safer bet is that the explosion of buybacks will help enrich corporate executives, whose compensation is often linked to their share price.

Last month, an SEC official detailed a disturbing trend: In the days after companies announce buybacks, execs quietly cash out their own shares. Daily stock sales spiked from an average of $100,000 to more than $500,000 per executive, according to SEC Commissioner Robert Jackson Jr.

Last week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board warned Republicans not to “underestimate the power of [the health care] issue to sway votes this fall,” highlighting in particular the popularity of provisions that require insurance companies to cover those with pre-existing conditions. According to a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, “84 percent of Democrats, 68 percent of independents and 59 percent of Republicans favored” protecting those with pre-existing conditions.

Despite this bipartisan support, Josh Hawley and 19 other Republican attorneys general have filed a lawsuit that would make requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions unconstitutional. Missouri is among the top 11 states with the highest levels of adults with pre-existing conditions, and Hawley’s lawsuit could strip coverage from nearly 2.5 million Missourians.

Polls continue to show that the health care issue, despite being crowded out of the news by immigration, tariffs, North Korea and Trump administration scandals, remains near the top of voters’ concerns. Republican candidates would be wise not to underestimate the power of this issue to sway votes this fall. Among major items of concern:

Two weeks ago, the Trump administration’s Justice Department told a federal court that it would no longer enforce key parts of the Affordable Care Act that require insurance companies selling plans on the Healthcare.gov marketplace to cover consumers with pre-existing conditions. This decision also could affect the 160 million Americans covered by employer-sponsored health care plans, who could be free to resume charging higher premiums or imposing waiting periods for coverage of pre-existing conditions.

…One of Obamacare’s most popular provisions says that the 52 million non-elderly American adults with pre-existing conditions can’t be denied coverage or charged more for it. In a 2017 Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 84 percent of Democrats, 68 percent of independents and 59 percent of Republicans favored guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions.

However, the tax-cut bill enacted in December eliminated Obamacare’s penalty for failing to purchase health insurance. The end of the so-called individual mandate caused 20 Republican state attorneys general to again challenge the overall constitutionality of Obamacare’s consumer protections, including coverage of pre-existing conditions. The Justice Department chimed in to agree.

…Voters with pre-existing conditions might want to factor it into their decisions in November.

Today, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce released a new analysis highlighting the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on Missouri’s economy. According to the report, over 800,000 Missouri jobs and nearly $900 million in total state exports are being threatened by the Trump administration’s new tariffs. The U.S. Chamber writes that because of these tariffs, “retaliatory tariffs imposed by other countries on U.S. exports will make American-made goods more expensive, resulting in lost sales and ultimately lost jobs here at home.”

In recent weeks, these numbers have taken on urgent meaning as the trade war’s first layoffs hit Missouri. In Southeast Missouri, one of the region’s largest employers has already been forced to lay off dozens of employees and could be out of business as early as Labor Day thanks to President Trump’s 25% tariff on steel imports. Mid Continent Nail Corporation is the last major U.S. nail manufacturer and its closure would leave 500 workers without a job.

Both Senators McCaskill and Blunt have repeatedly spoken out against President Trump’s reckless trade war. McCaskill has consistently advocated for Mid Continent Nail Corporation and last week visited the company to speak with employees about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on local jobs. Meanwhile, Josh Hawley continues to support the President’s tariffs.

“There is no question that this reckless trade war is bad for Missouri’s economy,” said Missouri Democratic Party Deputy Communications Director Brooke Goren. “What is unclear is how Josh Hawley can justify continuing to put his blind loyalty to President Trump ahead of Missourians who have already seen their livelihoods disappear because of the President’s tariffs — and the hundreds of thousands more who are in imminent danger.”

Yesterday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board highlighted the impact of President Trump’s “ill-advised” trade war, noting that it “continues to inflict a heavy local toll” on Missouri’s economy. President Trump’s tariffs have Missouri pork and soybean producers reeling, one of southeast Missouri’s largest employers on the brink of closing, and Harley-Davidson moving its production overseas to “more business friendly climes abroad.” In addition, the editorial board writes, “Trump’s administration has worked to undermine the health care system and social-services network that helps working-class families survive.”

Both Senators McCaskill and Blunt have spoken out against the President’s reckless tariffs. Last week, McCaskill traveled to Mid Continent Nail Corporation — one of southeast Missouri’s largest employers that could soon be forced out of business thanks to Trump’s tariffs — to speak with employees about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on local jobs. Meanwhile, Josh Hawley continues to support President Trump’s trade war.

President Donald Trump’s ill-advised trade war with Europe, Mexico, Canada and China continues to inflict a heavy local toll. Pork producers and soybean farmers are reeling under counter-tariffs imposed by China. A Poplar Bluff nail factory warns it is on “the brink of extinction.” Now the all-American brand, Harley-Davidson, is having to move to more business-friendly climes abroad.

Harley-Davidson has long planned to close its Kansas City production plant to make way for overseas production in Thailand. That decision followed Trump’s announcement shortly after taking office in 2017 that he would withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

…A big, rumbling “Hog” conveys a distinctly American image of freewheeling adventure and rebellion that Asian and European customers love. But Trump’s closed-door trade model got in the way. In Kansas City, 260 Harley employees will pay the price.

Harley announced last week that it would move some of its production to Europe, the company’s second-biggest market, specifically to avoid the punishing 31 percent tariffs imposed by Europe in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on European steel and aluminum. Those tariffs would add $2,200 to the price of each Harley motorcycle sold there.

This trade crisis was manufactured by Trump and never had to happen. He has mischaracterized the causes of trade imbalances and exaggerated the so-called exploitation of American goodwill by foreign governments. Instead of using facts, he concocts images of predators and enemies as a way of rallying his blue-collar base so they’ll believe he’s on their side.

He’s not. Trump’s administration has worked to undermine the health care system and social-services network that helps working-class families survive. He weakens unions and fights measures designed to boost wages for those at the bottom of pay scales. He’s on Trump’s side only.

…Trump can only play the blame game for so long before the nation’s farmers and blue-collar workers start asking why his trade policies are harming their livelihoods. If they don’t like what they see, the November elections would be a good time to send him a message.

Today, dozens of Missourians gathered outside of Josh Hawley’s campaign office opening in Springfield to protest Hawley’s decision to file a lawsuit that would end health insurance protections for individuals who have pre-existing conditions. Protestors demanded that Hawley explain why he is actively putting health care for nearly the 2.5 million Missourians with pre-existing conditions at risk. In February, Hawley and 19 other Republican attorneys general filed a lawsuit asserting that requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions is unconstitutional. Missouri is among the top 11 states with the highest levels of adults with pre-existing conditions.

“Once again, Josh Hawley has failed the people of Missouri by choosing to put loyalty to the health insurance industry and a Republican agenda that would kick millions off their health insurance ahead of what’s best for his constituents,” said Missouri Democratic Party Deputy Communications Director Brooke Goren. “Missourians today sent a clear message to Hawley that he will not get away with working to end protections for those with pre-existing conditions.”